Former Pitt OC Lands New Job

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers saw one of their former top coaches take a new job, where they'll hope to reinvigorate their career.

Division II program Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), announced that they hired former Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. in the same role.

We are excited to announce the return of Frank Cignetti Jr. as our offensive coordinator!

📝| https://t.co/lexITbzy5c #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/YseuE2a9AX
— IUP Football (@IUPfootball) February 18, 2025

Cignetti grew up in Indiana, Pa., attended Indiana Area High School and then went to IUP for college.

He would serve as a graduate assistant at Pitt right out of college in 1989, but then returned to IUP, working under his father, Frank Cignett, for the next nine seasons.

Cignetti served as wide receivers coach for three years, 1990-92, and then two seasons each as defensive backs coach, 1993-94, and quarterbacks coach, 1995-96, and then both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for his last two seasons, 1997-98.

His work with his father led IUP to four semifinals and twice to the Division II National Championship in 1990 and 1993, losing both times.

Cignetti then bounced around between the NFL and college, even coming back to Pitt as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in the final two seasons of head coach Dave Wannestadt's tenure, 2009-10.

He would end up back at Pitt in 2022, taking over the same position, after previous offensive coordinator Mark Whipple left for Nebraska after the 2021 ACC Championship Game.

Cignetti would have moderate succcess in 2022, with running back Israel Abanikanda starring and earning First Team All-American honors, but the Panthers dropped off from their championship winning season.

He struggled with quarterback Kedon Slovis, who completed 184-of-315 passes, 58.4%, for 2,397 yards and 10 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 11 games for the Panthers, finishing with a 7-4 record.

The Pitt offense then got even worse in the 2023 season, even with Cignetti bringing in a quarterback he had success with in Phil Jurkovec.

Pitt used three quarterbacks, Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell, and the lack of consistency showed on the field, as they finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in ACC play, the worst season under head coach Pat Narduzzi.

The Panthers finished last in the ACC in many categories, including 20.2 points per game, 317.9 yards per game and 101.9 rushing yards per game. They also had the least time of possession, 27.37 minutes per game, least first downs at 16.3 per game, worst third down convesrion at 31.3% second most penalties per game at 64.4 yards and ranked third worst with 119.8 offensive efficiency.

Narduzzi made a number of change in the offseason, including firing offensive coordinator Cignetti, along with offensive line coach Dave Borbely, tight ends coach Tim Salem and running backs and special teams coach Andre Powell.

Cignetti took off last season and will head into his 36th year coaching at the collegiate or NFL level.

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